Burial-vault.



'No. 734 ,711. PATENTED JULY 28,1903. 3. W. HOYT.

BURIAL VAULT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 9. 1902. no MODEL.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented July as, 1903.

PATENT GFFICE.

i EDWARD W. HOYT, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

BURlAL-VAU LT.

SEEGKFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 734,711, dated July 28, 1903. Application filed August 9, 1902. gerial No. 118,999. (No model.)

T0 61/ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD W. How, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Anrora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Vaults, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to burial-vaults; and its object is to provide a vault composed of separate sections which may be lowered into the excavation and put together separately and which is so constructed that the parts will come readily into position when put together and automatically lock with one another by their weight in such a way as to hold the side and end pieces in close contact. At

the same time it is so constructed as to pro? vide a suitable groove in which cement may be placed, so as to render the whole water andair tight.

I accomplish the object of my invention as hereinafter specified and as illustrated in the drawings.

That which I regard as new will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is aside elevation.

Fig. 2is an end elevation. section on lines 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross- Fig. 4 isa longitudinal section on linest 4 of Fig. 2. -Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on lines 5 5.01: Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail showing a portion of one end of the vaultpartially in section and with the end board raised. Fig.7 is an enlarged detail, being a viewtof one end of the vault seen from the side with the end board partly raised. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail, being a section on line 88 of Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail, being a partial vertical cross-section, showing the cooperating groove and tongue in the side and cover, respectively.

The vault, as shown in the drawings, consists of a bottom part 10, sides 11, ends 12, and cover or top13. These portions are composed of any suitable heavy material, such as cement, stone, slate, or other similar sub; The bottom piece 10, as is shown, is

stance.

provided with arectangular groove let extending around'it a short distance within its edges. The groove 14, as is best shown in Figs. 4.- and means of straps or otherwise and which also form supports on which the coffin when in position in the vault will rest, whereby the straps by which the coffin is lowered into the vault may be withdrawn.

The end pieces 12 are provided on .their lower edges with a tongue 16, which is adapted to enter into the groove 14 and is slightly beveled on its outer edge inward and downward, as is best shown in Figs. 4 and 6, in order when the parts are lowered into position in the bottom, as hereinafter described, to insure the seating of the tongue 16 in'the grooves 14. The sides 11 are also provided on their bottom edges with tongues 17,which, like the tongues on the bottoms of the end pieces 12, are slightly beveled downward and inward to engage the groove 14 and insure the parts being seated in position.

The tongues 16 and 17 on the end pieces and side pieces, respectively, are somewhat.

the entire inside of the vault, which may be filled with cement after the parts are put in position to render the same air and water tight.

The top edges of the side pieces 11 and end pieces 12 are provided with a V-shaped groove 18. The cover 13 is provided 1 on its lower side, running all the Way around ita short distance inside the outer'edge,wi'th a. tongue 19, which is adapted to engage with the V- shaped groove 18 on the tops of the side and end pieces. The tongue 19 is V-shaped, and its inner slope corresponds withthecoacting slope of the groove 18. The outer slope however, of the tongue 19 is at a somewhat sharper angle than the adjacent side of the angle between the two slopes above set forth be forced outward, sealing the vault around ICO said groove. As is shown in the drawings, the tongue 19 is slightly deeper than the V- shaped groove 18, whereby a small space will be left between thetops of the side and end pieces and the bottom of the outside edges of the top entirely around the vault, into which the cement will be forced, as above described.

As is best shown in Fig. 8, the end pieces 12 are rabbeted out vertically twice, so as to form two shoulders 20 21. The shoulder 20 is adapted, when the parts are lowered into position,to contact with the inner side of the end of the side pieces and to be brought tightly into position against the same, as hereinafter described. When in position, the shoulder 21, as is best shown in Fig. 8, will be a short distance away from the interior surface of the side pieces, forming a vertical recess, into which cement may be filled when the parts are put together in order that the vault may be rendered air and water tight along the sides of its ends.

The side pieces 11, as is best shown in Figs. land 7, are cut away from the top downward in a line perpendicular to the top and bottom edges, leaving projecting portions 22. The inner surface of the side pieces is also rabbeted out to form a shoulder 23, as best shown in Fig. 6, to form a bearing for the end pieces when placed in position, as hereinafter described. The upper ends of the projecting portions 22 on each end of the side pieces are provided with bevels 24, which slope downward and inward and face diagonally upward and outward toward the middle of the side pieces. The bevels 24 do not run quite out to a point at the bottom; but there is provided at the bottom a triangular flattened shoulder 25. There is also another triangular flattened shoulder 26 at the top of the projection 22 on the side which abuts the side of the end pieces.

The end pieces 12 are cut away on each side from below for a suitable distance in a line perpendicular to the top and bottom edges, so as to leave projecting pieces 27 upon each side thereof. Upon the lower ends of these projections 27 are cut bevels 28, which correspond with and form opposing surfaces to the bevels 24. The bevels 28 slope upward and inward and face diagonally downward and outward toward the middle of the end pieces, so that the surfaces of the bevels 28 engage with the surfaces of the bevels 24 when the end pieces are lowered into position. The bevels 28 also do not proceed to a point at their top; but there is provided a shoulder 29 at what may be termed the bottom of the recess formed by the bevel,which when the parts are in position of course will be at the top of the bevel, and another fiattened shoulder 30 upon the lower end projection 27, corresponding in size with the shoulders 25 and 26. The bevels are so cut that when the parts are in position, as hereinafter described, the shoulder 29 will not be brought quite into contact with the shoulder 26, nor

position from reaching the upper surface of the side pieces and prevents the tongue 16 on the bottom of the side pieces from quite contacting the bottom of the groove.

The shape, slope, and direction of facing of the opposing bevels 24 and 28 is such, as will be seen from the above description, that when the end pieces are lowered into position the bevels will engage one another and will tend to draw the side pieces tightly against the shoulders 20 and will also draw the end pieces tightly against the shoulders 23, drawing the side pieces and the end pieces all inward together by the mere weight of the end pieces, which are supported entirely by the bearing of the opposing beveled surfaces.

The parts are put together as follows: The bottom piece 10 is first placed in position and lowered into the excavation, if it be intended to" be placed in an excavation. The side pieces are then lowered into position on the bottom piece, with the tongues along their bottom edges resting in-the groove on the upper surface of the bottom piece. The side pieces are assisted in taking proper position by means of the slight bevels on the outer edges of the tongues along their lower edges and the slight bevel on the outer side of the groovel4. Thesidepieces beingheld as nearly in position as maybe, one end piece is lowered into position, and the shoulders 20 and 21 guiding it in its descent the bevels 28 come into contact .with the bevels 24:, which will by the mere weight of the end pieces, as said above, draw the parts closely together in proper position. The other end piece is then placed in position in the same manner. The grooves around the bottom and in the four corners where the sides and uprights come together, formed as above described, are then filled with cement in order that the joints may be air and water tight. The coffin or casket then being placed in position the V- shaped grooves 18 are supplied with the proper quantity of cement and the cover 13 placed in position. The V-shaped tongue 19, entering the V-shaped grooves 18, will force the cement outward, as above described, filling the narrow opening around the outside of the topand causing the vault to be tightly sealed.

I have described my burial-vault as hav-' ing the side pieces cut away from above, leaving projecting portions having beveledsurfaces on their upper ends, and the end pieces as cut away from below, leaving projecting portions having beveled surfaces upon their lower ends, adapted to coact with the beveled ICC surfaces on the projecting portions of the pieces lowered between them, in which case the relative position of the projecting portions and of the beveled surfaces would of course be simply reversed. I therefore wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself in this respect to the exact construction shown, and use the terms end pieces and side pieces in so far as my invention in this respect is concerned forthe purpose of convenience of description, the gist of my invention in thisrespect lying in the providingot' the members which constitute the sides and ends of the vault with coacting beveled faces which so bear upon and cooperate with one another that the parts which are lowered into position last will be supported on said beveled surfaces and the said members forming the sides and ends of the vault will be locked into position by the weight of the members lowered into position last acting through said cooperative beveled surfaces.

1 have shown the bevels on the side and end pieces as being formed integral with the side and end pieces, and I should prefer so to construct them when the material of which the side and end pieces are made is of sufficient strength. If the material is not of sufficient strength to so construct them, the projections upon which the bevels are formed may be made of any suitable material and secured to the side and end pieces in any suitable mandesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. Aburial-vault composed of a bottom,two side and two end members, said side members and end members being provided with coacting bevels adapted when said side and end members are in position to draw the side and end members inward and bind them together by the weight of the end members,and a cover, substantially as described.

2. A burial-vault composed of a bottom member, two side and two end members, said end members and side members'being provided with projecting portions, the projecting portions of said side and said end members being provided with respectivelyinterlocking beveled surfaces adapted when said side and end members are placed in position to bind the parts together by the weight of the end members, and a cover, substantially as described.

3. In a burial-vault, the combination with a bottom member provided on its inner surface with a groove parallel with the edges thereof, two side members, each provided with a tongue adapted to rest within said groove and with projecting portions on each end, two end members provided on their hottoms with tongues adapted to enter the groove on said bottom member, and with a projecting portion on each end, the projecting portions of said side and end members being, respectively, provided with interlocking beveled surfaces adapted when said end members are lowered into position to bind the side and end members together by the weight of the end members, and a cover, substantially as described.

4. In a burial-vault, the combination with a bottom member having on its upper surface a groove parallel with its sides, two side members provided on their bottoms with a tongue slightly narrower than the groove in said bottom member and adapted to rest within the same, and provided each with a projecting portion having an inclined bevel at its upper end, two end members provided on their inner'surfaces with two shoulders, the outer shoulder being adapted to abut upon the inner surfaces of the side members, and provided with a tongue on their bottoms, slightly narrower than the groove in the bottom member, and adapted to enter the same, and also provided on each side with projecting portions, said projecting portions having on their under lower ends inclined bevels adapted to bear upon and coact with the beveled surfaces on said side pieces and to bind the side and end members together by the weight of said end members, and a cover adapted to fit upon said side and end members at their tops, substantially as described.

5. In a burial-vault, the combination with side members and end members, of cooperating beveled bearings on said side and end members, adapted to support said end members and by the weight of said end members, when placed in position, to draw said side members and end members inward and bind them together, substantially as described.

6. In a burial-vault, the combination with side members having end projections and end members having end projections, of beveled hearings on said projections, said beveled hearings on said side and end members adapted to bear upon each other and support said end members and, by the weight of said .end members, when placed in position, to draw said side and end members inward and bind them together, substantially as specified.

8. In a burial-vault, the combination with side members and end members of projections,

on said side and end members, and cooperating beveled faces on said projections facing in opposite directions diagonally of the vertical and horizontal planes of said vault and adapted to support said end members, and by the weight of said end members when placed in position, to draw the side and end members inward and bind them together.

EDWARD W. HOYT.

Witnesses:

G. E. PIOKARD, HELEN M COLLIN. 

